When was the last time you saw an American ad that blurred the color GAP and portrayed all the races in the same bright light? I can't think of a single American ad that doesn't cast a single Caucasian. Neither can I think of any ad that casts an African-American, a Latino or an Asian in a powerful role. Before I get into the details of racial GAP (discrimination) in American ads or Indian ads, I would like to dissect and analyze this week the latest campaign by the brand "GAP". The social media campaign came out last year around November with a brown Indian-American turbaned Sikh, posing alongside a white female model. And, you can imagine the public furor!
New York City, which is one of the world's most diverse cities, in which more than a third of its 8 million residents are born in a foreign country, is expected to be a haven for tolerance. But, when GAP Inc. advertised this ad with the caption "Make Love", some racists decided to scratch the word "Love" and replaced it with "Bombs". Another genius decided to write "Please stop driving taxis" under the advertisement's caption!
More than anything else, this kind of fury from people of a city which is most diversified in terms of race and culture, proves that we still do not live in a "Post-racial America" since minority groups like South Asians, are often perceived as Muslims. It is really needed for these racist groups to come out of their shell and learn the world geography and most importantly respect people of all the nations irrespective of their color, race and religion.
Personally, I feel ads like these depict the real diverse America that we see today. The recent surveys suggest that the population of Whites is declining and that of Latinos followed by Asians is increasing in this country. By representing such under-represented minorities, brands like GAP are paving a path towards creating One America. But, the major problem lies in the fact that the minority groups do not fit the traditional American notions of beauty, which requires white skin, Caucasian featured models.
More on diversity issues in advertising in one of the coming weeks. Till then, happy reading!
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| GAP Ad 2013 |
New York City, which is one of the world's most diverse cities, in which more than a third of its 8 million residents are born in a foreign country, is expected to be a haven for tolerance. But, when GAP Inc. advertised this ad with the caption "Make Love", some racists decided to scratch the word "Love" and replaced it with "Bombs". Another genius decided to write "Please stop driving taxis" under the advertisement's caption!
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| Vandalized GAP Ad at NYC Subway Platform |
More than anything else, this kind of fury from people of a city which is most diversified in terms of race and culture, proves that we still do not live in a "Post-racial America" since minority groups like South Asians, are often perceived as Muslims. It is really needed for these racist groups to come out of their shell and learn the world geography and most importantly respect people of all the nations irrespective of their color, race and religion.
Personally, I feel ads like these depict the real diverse America that we see today. The recent surveys suggest that the population of Whites is declining and that of Latinos followed by Asians is increasing in this country. By representing such under-represented minorities, brands like GAP are paving a path towards creating One America. But, the major problem lies in the fact that the minority groups do not fit the traditional American notions of beauty, which requires white skin, Caucasian featured models.
More on diversity issues in advertising in one of the coming weeks. Till then, happy reading!
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